Missed opportunity with Surface? (re: Courier)

Posted by mkeadle on June 20, 2012 06:20 pm 14

Before the event happened, there was a lot of speculation around what was going to be announced or released. One of those ideas naturally, I think, harkened back to the Courier: the dual-screened, ever-sexy, never-was tablet from the skunkworks deep in MS. Alas, it again wasn't meant to be, and we got Surface.

Now, I'm not making any comment here on how capable the announced Surface may or may not actually be, but I think there may have been a missed opportunity to absolutely shatter the tablet space, redefine the laptop space and put Microsoft in the drivers seat for the modern mobile market.

Are you ready?

They could have released Courier, but they only released half of it. Magnet attached covers and keyboards are becoming old hat quickly. But what if you could attach Surface... to another Surface.

With one unit, you have your standard, everyday tablet. Maybe pick up a keyboard cover or some other accessories. You won't feel lacking because it's as expectedly capable as existing tablets. Heck, it's what they released. But even with a single unit, you could have the possibility of connecting with another users Surface for, say, file transfers, gaming options, and other exciting options if you let your mind race.

With two units, you've got Courier. Sure it would have required a bit of software extension by Microsoft to really take advantage of that combination, but why shouldn't they be able to handle that? You'd have a laptop replacement with a multitouch keyboard on a second screen, a dual screen tablet with all the potential posibilites that a system like that could provide. And if a friend has Surface? Disconnect and dock with theirs to get all that potential as well.

Tear me appart and tell my why it didn't happen. I can't think of any technological reason why it couldn't exist, so maybe it's market forces, Microsoft not being brave or bold enough, or something else. I want to hear what you think.